“I thought communication skills were for teachers.” is the most common phrase uttered by people when they hear of communication skills for pharmacists. What they don’t realize is the fact that everyone needs to have effective communication skills to succeed in life.
Even though everyone needs communication skills, each person requires a different set of skills. This is because each of our dreams and goals need different factors in order for us to reach them. The development of communication skills for pharmacists is quite different from that of a salesman.
Communication skills for pharmacists can be divided into two categories:
1) Verbal
For pharmacists these tend to be more focused. We all know that verbal communication consists of words. However, whether spoken or written, all words are verbal communication. We also all know how important it is for our pharmacists to be highly skilled in certain parts of verbal communication. This is especially true when it comes to making sure we get the proper medications in the proper doses and in understanding exactly how to take them. Now what could be more important to communicate that that?
A pharmacist needs to be able to understand and express medical jargon. This is, of course, because he or she sells medicine. In order to do this correctly, he/she must understand exactly what is required by a customer and must be able to read properly the prescription of a doctor in order to give the right medicine to a customer.
In terms of spoken communication, pharmacists must possess excellent skills because of the fact that they interact with customers all day, everyday. Sure, some people may think that they only need to hand in their prescriptions and the pharmacist will give them their medicine. However, when going to a pharmacy, you may need some additional help in understanding the reactions to expect or even how this new medicine will interact with other medications you may be taking. For example, a good pharmacist should be able to offer you alternatives in case the medicine you are looking for is not available and communicate this appropriately.
Although the experience of speaking with a pharmacist can be rare, it should be filled with information. A person will take a pharmacist’s advice if he or she knows what he or she is talking about and explains it fully and effectively.
2) Non-verbal
Although communication skills for pharmacists focus more on words, the non-verbal signals that pharmacists give out are easily seen by people. For instance, how is the pharmacist dressed? Do his or her clothes seem clean? This is important since pharmacists are in the business of health. People who go to pharmacists need to be assured that they will be given products to help them with their health in mind. If they see any indication otherwise, they may go to other businesses.
How is the pharmacist’s demeanor? The importance of communication skills for pharmacists lies mainly in the fact that their job is to help people. A pharmacist should be able to give the impression that he or she can be trusted to help a customer. And trust is more than a matter of words. Non-verbal communication for pharmacists should consist of the proper gestures and the proper impression they make on a customer.
Concluding Remarks
These two categories of verbal and non-verbal compose the communication skills necessary for pharmacists.
To summarize:
1) A pharmacist needs to be able to read and understand prescriptions.
2) A pharmacist needs to give advice regarding different products.
3) A pharmacist needs to be trusted by people.
4) A pharmacist needs to attract customers.
These reasons show the importance of communication skills for pharmacists. People run businesses and communications run people.